


My heart is with you

by temis



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Ficlet, Fluff, Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Soulmate AU, This story grabbed my brain and refused to go away until it was written, soulmate animals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:02:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23748034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/temis/pseuds/temis
Summary: Ballon d'Or 2007. Cristiano didn't expect to win, not with the incredible season Kaká had, but even so it was hard to not be nervous in his first time as a finalist- thankfully, he had his Jóia to keep him company and distract him... And soon, much more than that.
Relationships: Lionel Messi/Cristiano Ronaldo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have some headcanons about this story that I don't plan to write into proper fics. If you want to know more, just leave a comment or send me a message on tumblr: tocadoguara.tumblr.com/

Their chairs had been put together, of course - as it was usual for the Ballon d'Or finalists. He, Kaká and the Barcelona player were side by side, with some space left between his and Kaká's chair, and Kaká's chair and the Argentine's, so that their huge soulmate's animals could stay with them. He knows people will wonder where his own is, especially in contrast with Kaká's white peahen and the young golden lion on the floor. The sensation of ruffled feathers along his neck is calming, as is the beak combing his curling hair, while his hand goes up and down on the reddish-brown plumage. 

The bird that represents his soulmate is not impressive, beautiful or a great singer. Its colors are not brilliant or flashy as he had once dreamed of as a child. But what it is, what the small shy bird nestled along his neck represents is so much more precious than that: the comfort that he will never be alone, that there is someone in the world that is his perfect fit, who wouldn't laugh at him for his accent, origin or need to have his family close by, someone who would be a companion, a confidant, who would try to cheer him up and help him be the best person he could be, who wouldn't care for his money or even his football skills, but for him, and only him, as his João de Barro did.[1]

All the travels and changes he had gone through, it had been with his soulmate's animal as a pillar of support, the small bird cheering him up when he was sad or crying after a defeat, keeping him company every time he was lonely, preening and combing his hair before going to sleep and, despite its tiny size, more than once it had come to his defense, dive bombing humans and animals and playing small pranks on the boys from school and club. 

What his Jóia[2] lacked in size, it more than made up in personality and temper when it got over its shyness, to his teachers' and coaches' consternation: they couldn't really blame him for the bird's antics - the animal was a reflection of his soulmate's personality, not his own and he could no more stop it than the day could prevent the night from arriving. 

It had taken more than one stern talk from him, along with pleading and small bribes before Jóia had stopped being so mischievous, but his teammates and colleagues from Sporting (and later on, Manchester) had appreciated not having to search the whole building to find their belongings or washing, again and again, clothes and jerseys liberally streaked with mud.

A peck on his ear brought him back to the present and the show. The presenter was introducing each one of them before announcing the winner. It was nice seeing the highlights - remembering how far he got from home, breaking expectations time and time again. 

He knew he didn't have many chances, neither he nor the other player, Messi, so he shouldn't get his hopes up, but it was hard, his heartbeat picked up after seeing Pelé enter with the trophy, and Jóia twitted to calm him, louder than normal, drawing a bit of attention, nothing that would disturb the ceremony. 

Or so he thought.

From his left side, he heard a roar, and then a blur of yellow and brown going in his direction, along with a cry of "No! ¡Para, Dorado!"[3] before he saw a fucking lion in front of him. His hand automatically went to cover Jóia when he jumped to a standing position, not wanting to be seated in the presence of a predator. 

To his alarm, instead of staying settled in his shoulder, Jóia quickly took to the air, diving straight for the lion. One claw swipe from the feline and the small João de Barro would be dead. However, before he could react in his defense, Jóia settled quite happily in the lion's head. 

Astonished, he exchanged glances with Messi, as the lion (Dorado?) relaxed in place, settling down in the floor, rumbling like a pampered house cat while Jóia started combing through its mane, excitedly twitting to and fro, avoiding the heavy chain necklace around the lion's neck.

Soulmate animals only accepted touches from others if their humans were family or close friends, never strangers and never like this. The only exception was if they were each other's pair; meaning they found their other half (or sometimes third). Which could only mean he and Messi were soulmates too.

Looking at Messi (should he start calling him Lionel?) again he noted how red in the face he was, shying from the attention they were attracting by hiding as much as he could with his long hair - so much like Jóia hiding under its wings or in his clothes and neck that he felt suddenly sure that everything was going to be ok. They didn't know each other, but they weren't strangers either. Still, he didn't know exactly what to say. How do you start a conversation with your soulmate??

The silence was broken by Kaká's gentle voice:

"I think it would be a good idea for us to change places, no?" the Brazilian player was smiling, moving from his place along with his peahen so that they could be seated closer, with their animals between them. Or at least that was the idea, Lionel's (his?) lion refused to budge, too happy with the small bird presence and Lionel's attention (was it strange that he was jealous of his own soul? He wanted to be the one to have the Argentine's player talking to him in that low accented voice of his...).

¡Vamos, levántate, Dorado![4]\- even as Messi talked, he ran his hand through the lion's fur, sometimes pulling on it a little to get the stubborn cat up. 

Seeing how hunched Messi's shoulders had gotten, as well as how embarrassed he seemed to be because of the stares, he frowned, calling to Jóia: "Venha aqui Jóia, vamos parar de interromper o prêmio"[5] who promptly flew to his shoulder.

With that, he could swear the lion grumbled before letting itself be guided to the space between their seats, the show restarting, even though now he couldn't keep his eyes away from his soulmate. He was so cute and small! If they hugged, he could probably enfold him completely in his arms. He knew he was probably smiling like a fool, but he was happy they had found each other, and so soon, not like some stories where soulmates only meet when they are old and had already led entirely different lives, to the point they didn't have space anymore for their other half in what they had built alone. Besides, they shared the same passion, and were good enough to be both finalists of Ballon d'Or! He was excited to talk to him but didn't know how to do it without scaring him away with his enthusiasm. As focused as he was on the other man, he didn't miss the moment when Lionel straightened his shoulders and looked directly at him before speaking:

"Hola soy Lionel Messi, encantado de conocerte"[6]

Beaming, Cris took his hand between both of his, before answering:

"Cristiano Ronaldo. Eu que estou encantado!"[7]

He didn't know if Lionel could understand Portuguese very well and he doubted his own grasp of Spanish was that good either, but he didn't want to let go of the opening Lionel had given him, or of his hand, though he didn't trap it either, letting it rest on top of his left hand while he moved his right to where Jóia was, so Lionel could take it back if he wanted.

Before he could think of something to have a conversation about and keep in contact, applause broke out from the audience, with the announcement of Kaká as the winner. They clapped politely, and Cris instantly missed the warmth of Lionel's hand in his - he would have preferred to stay seated, but they had to go to the stage and receive their own prizes. Jóia chose to nestle in the mane of Lionel's lion, being almost impossible to see as his plumage blended in with the fur around him.

And because having their first meeting as soulmates during a show in front of all of the football-loving world wasn't enough, the announcer and the presenter couldn't agree on which of them should receive which trophy[8] \- not like either of them really cared at this point in time. For the first time in his life, he just wanted to ditch the cameras and attention, find a calm place and be able to talk with Lionel. That was the most important thing. There would be other trophies. He would be the best in the world soon. But his soulmate took precedence over everything, and he didn't want them to miss the opportunity to talk before he had to go back to Manchester, or Lionel to Barcelona.

As soon as they got into the backstage, they were met by Mendes, and who Cristiano thought was Lionel's agent. The man hugged Lionel, before turning to him and, to his surprise, introducing himself:

"Soy Jorge Messi, el padre de Lionel. Es un placer conocerle"[9]

He blushed a bit while stammering a reply: "Cristiano Ronaldo. É um prazer conhecê-lo senhor"[10]

As soon as he stopped speaking, Lionel said something to his father, who nodded, and went straight to Jorge and he was left alone with Lionel again. He didn't think they had much time - his and Jorge's tickets were for an early morning flight back to Portugal, so soon enough he would have to go back to the hotel and it would be better to have some way to communicate before then...

"Lionel, posso te pedir teu telefone? Para nos conhecermos melhor?"[11]

Lionel ligthly frowned before answering:

"Llamame Lio. ¿Tenés papel y birome? O tu celular?"[12]

"Então me chame de Cris. Tenho meu telemóvel - pode adicionar seu número?"[13]

He took out his cellphone from his pants' pocket, giving it to Lionel - Lio. He could call him that now.

"Si, Cris. Voy a enviar un mensaje a mí mismo para tener su número..."[14] The low voice and the way the words seemed to roll together in Lio's accent made it difficult to understand the meaning of what he spoke, but now he had Lio's number, he could call or text him...

Before he could articulate an answer, Mendes and Lio's father called for them. He knew they would have to separate. For now at least.

This time, he was the one who took the initiative: moving slowly, he got close to Lio, opening his arms and giving him time to realize what he wanted to do so Lio could avoid it if he wanted. Instead, Lio opened his own arms and gave him a crushing hug. He didn't know how long they stood together, how long he basked in the warmth of Lio's arms around him, his breathing near his neck, the solidity of Lio there with him. Enough time for both Jorges to call them to attention.

Even so, he disentangled from Lio without sadness. It wasn't a goodbye hug - just a 'see you later'.

He also had a feeling it would be the beginning of a new era for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually don't speak Spanish, much less the Argentine variant. If there's something wrong with my usage of it, please let me know!
> 
> 1 João de barro is the name in Portuguese of Rufous hornero, Argentina's national animal. They can be as tall as 20~23 cm. Jóia is around 15 cm. Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rufous_hornero#/media/File:Rufous_hornero_(Red_ovenbird)(Furnarius_rufus).JPG  
> 2 Jóia means jewel in Portuguese  
> 3 "No! Stop Dorado!" Dorado means golden in Spanish.  
> 4 C'mon, get up Dorado!  
> 5 Come here Jóia! Let's stop interrupting the award  
> 6 Hello, I'm Lionel Messi. Nice to meet you.  
> 7 Cristiano Ronaldo, I'm the one enchanted to know you. The word encantado in Portuguese means only enchanted, so there was actually a minor miscommunication here between Lio and Cris.  
> 8 This actually happened in the ceremony. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i-OGBeCjMk&t=82s  
> 9 I'm Jorge Messi, father of Lionel. It's a pleasure to know you. (More formal than Lio's introduction).  
> 10 Cristiano Ronaldo. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir.  
> 11 "Lionel, can I ask your telephone (number)? So we can get to know each other better?  
> 12"Call me Lio. Do you have pen and paper? Or your cellphone?  
> 13"Then call me Cris. I've my cellphone - can you add your number?"  
> 14"Yes, Cris. I'm going to send a message to myself so I can have your number..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Side story - because this also grabbed my brain and didn't want to let go.

Training had been good, the sun was shining, and for now, he was free. Lionel had his bag on his shoulder and hair still wet from the quick shower he had taken. He would have loved to just settle somewhere and sleep or maybe play FIFA at home, but he knew better. Even if he was tired, Dorado was still brimming with energy, even though the young lion had run the entire training. It had been in the sidelines or playing with a ball by itself or with Vasquez's macaw or Ronaldinho's swan. Later, the mister had set it to carrying the cones and helping clean up the pitch after the session.

As soon as he had gotten into the first team, the first thing his new teammates had noticed had been how different his soulmate's animal was from him. Dorado was extroverted and curious, sometimes causing trouble by poking its snout where it shouldn't, loving paper boxes too much (as more than one cleaning worker could attest to, when they tried to force him out of them) and by taking offence every time a slight is made against Lionel, roaring inside the pitch and serving as a bodyguard out of it. The lion also shattered any illusion of feline dignity by chuffing, huffing, doing pleading faces and even laying in the middle of a path when it wanted the Argentine's attention.

Dorado was spoiled, by Lionel and his family - as a cub, it had been small, helpless and far skinnier than any of the adults would have liked. None of them could have imagined that the little animal would grow so much as to be able to reach their chest in height and serve as a walking monkey bar or mount for the children of the family.

It was a toss-up whether the kids liked Lionel or Dorado more. Rodrigo and Matias had been comfortable with using their little brother animal as a babysitter, but it had taken their wives some time to get used to the lion. It helped that Dorado always gently caught the children before they could fall from its back or kept them occupied playing with it and their toys, being able to outlast them in energy. When Lionel visited Rodrigo, it was common to see Dorado guarding the children, watching over the young ones and softly guiding them away from the pool, grass mower or other tools left in the garden, and curling over them when they finally tired enough to rest.

The Messi family had been relieved to see that Lio's soulmate also had similarities with him - that whoever the man whose soul Dorado represented, there would be common points between him and Lio, bridges to make a relationship easier when they finally meet each other. It was also a good sign that Lio and Dorado worked well together, as it was normal for people's bond with their soulmates to be similar to those with their animals.

Dorado was Lio's anchor in Barcelona. When everything was changing, including their family, the lion had remained a constant in his life, growing, yes, but along with him, not far nor apart, accompanying him in the bad and good days, as well as making him laugh most of their time together. And one of the lessons Leo had learned in their time together was that Dorado loved visiting either El Corte Inglés department store or Passeig de Gracia avenue, running around the many sections and shops, looking around the clothing and accessories and burning off his excess energy.

Most of the attendants in both locations were now used to the lion exploring the goods, either alone while Lio was in the games section or with him. Today, they were at the fashionable (and expensive) avenue, with price tags which could and would cause most to back away (including himself, when Dorado forgot he wouldn't spend his money recklessly).

He was teased by Deco and Silvinho that his lion dressed him, but it wasn't like he cared that much about what he wore. Besides, it made Dorado happy when he bought and used the clothes it had chosen - showing him off in his new clothes to people, the lion beside him chest puffed up and out, humming and tail quivering in excitement.

So, when Dorado pulled him away from the bench he had parked himself in and so he could keep messaging Matias, he wasn't too surprised. Except, instead of dragging him to Gucci or Zara as usual, They were heading for Cartier. He wasn't a fan of jewelry and his watch was still plenty serviceable, and after Dorado's first few frustrating tries, the lion had understood he didn't want to wear bracelets, necklaces or earrings. He didn't need to suit up all that often, so cuff links were also unnecessary. Lionel wondered what Dorado had seen to try and convince him again to shop at Cartier. Maybe a leather belt or wallet? Shrugging, he picked up his duffel bag and walked to the store. Instead of pausing at the accessories section, they passed through watches and perfumes until they stopped at the collection of jewelry for men.

Lio half-heartedly followed the feline, wondering why it thought he would say yes now when he didn't before. That feeling intensified when they stopped in front of a light silver necklace, composed of thick and angular chain links, the metal being white gold with no accents or stones. Very spartan and elegant, except for the price being a tenth of his weekly (admittedly ridiculously high) wage.

"Dorado, why did you think I would like to wear something like that? Unless you mean for us to gift it to someone, I don't see the point." Lio said, looking down at the excited golden eyes of his companion, carding his fingers through its mane.

The lion butted his chest gently with its head and raised his paw, pointing to the necklace again, and then sitting down upright, puffing up his chest and bending down his neck.

"You want the necklace for yourself?" Lio was incredulous, doubting if he had read Dorado's body language correctly, but the lion's nod and low rumbling confirmed his hypothesis.

"It doesn't fit you - I don't think it can pass through your head, never mind settle on your neck." as he was saying this, one of the attendants comes over, her small monkey resting on her shoulder, the animal using a necklace, and tiny bracelets in its hands. Even before she opened her mouth, he already knew what she was going to say.

"We can customize any of our stock to your satisfaction! Would you like to see our options in this case?" is the saleswoman's cheery question. Before he can answer properly, Dorado is already applying the begging eyes and meowing.

"You know I can't decide, right? We can take a look, but I can't promise we will buy it, and in truth, I am not responsible for trying to convince Papá of it, understood?" Lio doubted his father would agree with spending money in an expensive piece of jewelry. It was a type of luxury none of his family ever wanted or appreciated, even though they had the money to fulfill it, it still made him feel that it would be an obscene waste of money.

(In six months, when he will be looking back at this memory after having met his soulmate, Lio will be glad Dorado hadn't chosen a diamond-encrusted necklace to fixate on. Despite his wish, the crystal clear stone suits them, both Cristiano as well as Dorado, contrasting with tan skin or golden fur).

He helps to measure Dorado for the attendant, who writes down the numbers and calculates how many links would have to be added, as well as the cost. The total makes him wince, but he takes the paper before going out of the store, finally making his way home. Dorado as always at his side, with people and animals looking at them. It was something Lio had to get used to as Dorado grew and became bigger and bigger, captivating people's eyes. It went counter to his own nature, to just being Lio (except on the pitch, then he wanted people to look, to see him, his talent).


End file.
